1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to a tube alignment and delivery apparatus for use in a manufacturing process and, more specifically, to an apparatus used to align and load a flow tube in a feed magazine used in the manufacture and assembly of heat exchangers.
2. Description of the Related Art
In a conventional apparatus for manufacture and assembly of a heat exchanger of a parallel tube and fin type, a plurality of tubes and fins are stacked adjacent one another to form a tube and fin bundle. Once the tube and fin bundle is assembled, side plates and upper and lower headers are attached. The process of assembling the heat exchanger may be accomplished manually or through automated machinery. If machine assembled, a plurality of tubes are manually loaded into a feed magazine from which they are withdrawn during the manufacturing and assembly process. This requires an individual to remove tubes from storage containers and physically place the tubes in the feed magazine either one at a time or in small groups. Such a procedure is both time consuming and unwieldy.
Therefore, it is advantageous to provide an apparatus for receiving tubes in bulk and aligning and delivering the tubes to a feed magazine for use in manufacture and assembly of a heat exchanger. Such an apparatus eliminates the need for manual labor to load the tubes in a feed magazine.